Chapter 7
864 Words
I drove back home thinking about what Ryan had said.
After I'd asked him what he was referring to when he mentioned that I would appreciate the distance from everything that happens in Grace's house, I wasn't at all surprised when my mind explored the possibility that he was referring to the odd voices and movements that seemed to have taken residence in that house.
“Oh. Nothing in particular.” he said quickly.
Of course Ali. Of course he wasn't talking about the things your silly little mind was creating because you felt uncomfortable in a strange, worn down house.
Maybe I was finally losing my mind from all the thirty six hour shifts I took when I had nothing else planned. Which, let's face it, was most of the time.
I reached the driveway just as I was about to phone the psych ward to come and take me because clearly I had a screw loose somewhere.
I dragged myself out of the car, grocery bags balancing in my arms and went inside the house.
There it is again, I thought to myself. This eerily feeling that someone is going to jump out and try to scare the living s**t out of you.
Why did I not feel it when I stood outside? Why only when I was inside the house?
While I was creating my own little horror movie in my head, I started unpacking the grocery bags and put all the items I had bought on my little adventure away.
I turned around and stared at the pantry. I have to open it now. Why does that thought scare me so much? It's just a freaking pantry!
Yes, it opened last night and weird ass whispers emerged from it, but in the pantry’s defense, I had had a really long day behind me, so it could have just been my mind trying to exclaim how exhausted I was.
I approached the door with caution, which annoyed the life out of me because I had just now had this long logical intervention with myself about how there was nothing to worry about.
I locked my hand around the handle and closed my eyes while I yanked open the pantry door.
I stood in front of the opening, my eyes still closed and waited.
Nothing.
No voices, just, silence.
I peeked through my eyelids and slowly opened my eyes. See! It's just a normal walk-in pantry.
I drew out a huge relieved sigh and lowered my shoulder as I entered it, embarrassed at myself for wasting time being scared of the made up monster living in the pantry.
I placed all the items on the shelves, walked out and closed the door.
I walked over to the oven trying to reach the shelf that was just a few inches above it, to pack away the spices I had bought.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of someone walking down the hall towards me.
Great. Now I am going to have to deal with Mason. I couldn't avoid him forever.
I glanced to my left and saw the back of a dress flicking in the air just as it entered my bedroom.
Wait! Mason doesn't wear dresses!
I tore my arm away from the shelf and it fell next to my side. Confused, I walked to my bedroom. As I exited the kitchen with the wooden floors never breaking their constant creaking songs, I felt the hair on the back of my neck raising. An ominous feeling entered my gut as I approached my bedroom door.
The door was closed.
I reached the handle and busted it open. My train of thought was that I should rather scare the person trying to scare me.
The door collided with the wall with a loud bang before flying back. I stopped the door with my foot before it closed on me again and stared at the scenery that was my room.
There wasn't another person in my room. Was Mason playing with me? Tricking me somehow?
Logic quickly flew out the window as my gaze did as well. Mason's car wasn't here. He must have left.
I stood in the doorway baffled. I called through the house to find out if anyone was home. But just an eerily silence washed over me. Apart from Grace, who was basically a vegetable, I was the only one here.
I stepped into my bedroom slowly, keeping my senses on high alert for anything or anyone out of place. I examined the room, peeping underneath the bed, opening the closets, checking behind the chair. You know, just to ease my mind running at a thousand miles an hour.
With my back towards the door I slowly retreated out of the room, standing in the doorway again. I was dumbfounded. What was that… anomaly that made me think that it was a person walking down the hall?
I closed my eyes for just a second to calm my overworked brain and turned on my heel and smacked into… Something hard.
I looked up and screamed at the top of my lungs.
- Writer
